Tim Wellens 2nd in the Giro

16/05/2014

Lotto-Belisol youngster Tim Wellens finished 2nd in the 6th stage of the Giro d’Italia. After his great performance in the Ardennes classics and the Belgian Championship timetrial, he is continuing his good form in the Giro.

There were several crashes on the wet roads leading up to the final climb. The crash split the peloton with a group of eight riders quickly gaining 30 seconds. Evans was in this group, and his teammates worked hard to ensure the move stayed clear. Tim Wellens was also part of the leading group and he was able to counter the attack of Evans with one kilometer to go. Matthews, Rabottini and Santaromiata were also able to follow. Matthews had the fastest legs, and sprinted to the stage win. A strong Tim Wellens crossed the finish line in second place.

Tim Wellens: "I felt very good on the climb. For a moment I thought about attacking, but that wasn't a good idea and so I waited for the sprint. It was in Evans' interest to take as much time as possible, so his teammate Morabito set a high pace on the whole climb. Sports director Bart Leysen advised me to get out of the last corner in first place, but Matthews was faster than me."

"It was a pretty long climb, but not so steep. We rode fast, almost more than thirty kilometers an hour! I felt very good today, the long distance didn't bother me. After the Vuelta al País Vasco I set a big step forward and I'm ready for races longer than 250 kilometers, that came in handy today. I might aim for the mountain's jersey in this Giro."